| Chris Rusiewicz takes over a Guilford program that
has lost 11 consecutive games. Guilford athletics photo |
Guilford introduced Chris Rusiewicz as the school's 22nd recorded head football coach in school history.
He replaces Kevin Kiesel, who was not retained after an 0-10 season.
Rusiewicz spent the past 10 seasons as an assistant at Ursinus, including four as associate head coach. The Bears went 8-2 in 2010 and shared the Centennial Conference title. Guilford was outscored by an average of 39-19.
"It's not a matter of rebuilding. It's about refocusing," Rusiewicz said in a news conference on Wednesday. "It's something that needs to be done. You have to count on seniors, and there may not be many right now, but you need them."
“Chris quickly distinguished himself as a guy who is very enthusiastic and very energetic,” said Guilford athletic director Tom Palombo. “He wanted to take this on as a challenge and in the short time he’s been here, he can see the potential of what Guilford College football can be.”
Rusiewicz won the 2010 American Football Coaches Association Division III Assistant Coach of the Year Award last November.
Rusiewicz joined Peter Gallagher’s Ursinus staff in 2001 as a secondary coach, became the Bears’ defensive coordinator in 2003 and was named special teams coach in 2008. The team ranked 23rd or higher among NCAA Division III total defense leaders in three of the past four years. The Bears boasted the nation’s 12th-rated rushing defense in 2010.
After playing at Quakertown (Pa.) High School, Rusiewicz started his college career at Division II Shippensburg (Pa.) University where he lettered as a reserve running back for the Red Raiders. He graduated with a degree in sport management from DeSales in Center Valley, Pa., in 2001. Rusiewicz entered the coaching ranks as founder, general manager and offensive coordinator of the semi-professional Eastern Pennsylvania Scorpions from 1997-2004. He spent four years as the physical director of the Spring Valley YMCA.
The full news conference appears below: